Dueling Endorsements in the CA-52 Race

Scott Peters is trumpeting the endorsement of another sitting Democratic politician in the race for the newly-drawn 52nd congressional district: mayoral hopeful Bob Filner.

“Congressman Filner’s endorsement was a great surprise, and a tremendous honor,” said Peters in a release Monday afternoon. “Bob has been a forceful advocate for our region, for our veterans, for civil rights and for Democratic causes throughout his esteemed career in public service.”

MaryAnne Pintar, Peters’ communications director, says a trend is evident. “Every current and former local Democratic legislator who has endorsed in this race at both the state and federal level, has endorsed Scott,” Pintar says.

Lori Saldaña, the other Democrat in the race against Republican incumbent Brian Bilbray, announced new endorsements of her own, picking up labor backing from National Nurses United, a national group that claims 165,000 members, and the California School Employees Association, a statewide union with 220,000 total members.

“We’ve gotten 5 major endorsements in 5 days!” tweeted Saldaña on Monday, whose campaign also garnered nods from non-San Diego specific groups including Service Employees International Union Local 1000, BoldProgressives.org (founded by former MoveOn organizer Adam Green), and the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

Bilbray, meanwhile, has not been as vocal regarding endorsements – the latest update to his campaign website announces a February 3 endorsement from the Republican Party of San Diego County. His official campaign Twitter account has only one post, announcing a March 21 endorsement from the San Diego Deputy Sheriff’s Association.